YRC News
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MotoGP : Yamaha sets solid race pace at Catalunya
Round: 6 - Catalunya MotoGP
Circuit: Catalunya
Date: 11 June 2005
Temp: 27ēC
Weather: Hot and Sunny
Gauloises Yamaha Team riders Valentino Rossi and Colin Edwards are confident of
mounting a strong challenge in tomorrow's Catalunya Grand Prix despite suffering
unexpected setbacks in this afternoon's single qualifying session, which limited
them to third and seventh place respectively on the starting grid. Both riders
set a fast and consistent race pace throughout the day but, in the chase for a
quick one-off lap time, Rossi lost time trying a tyre that did not work for him
whilst Edwards was held up by slower riders on a lap that would have almost
certainly put him on the front row of the grid.
Despite the minor setbacks the pair have confirmed their progress from a
positive opening day yesterday, making key adjustments to the bike settings in
order to find improved machine stability in the fast corners of the sweeping
Catalunya circuit. Tomorrow they will enjoy the support of a predicted crowd of
over 100,000 people, with local favourite Sete Gibernau (Honda) starting from
pole after clocking a new outright record time of 1'42.337 this afternoon.
Gibernau's team-mate Marco Melandri (1'42.390) was second fastest and will
line-up alongside Rossi (1'42.723) on the front row of the grid for the 25-lap
race.
Ruben Xaus lead the Fortuna Yamaha Team charge at his home MotoGP with a 16th
fastest time, followed closely by Roberto Rolfo (Ducati) and Xaus' temporary
team-mate David Checa (18th). Checa, in his second ride for the Fortuna Yamaha
outfit, replaces the injured Toni Elias who attempted to return to the fray
following his post Le Mans crash. However Elias found his injuries were still
too much of a hindrance during Friday practice and opted to sit out the Catalan
MotoGP in an effort to be fit for Assen in two weeks time.
Valentino Rossi (Gauloises Yamaha Team) 3rd, 1'42.723
"Tomorrow will be tough for the riders in these conditions and for sure 25 laps
will make it a long, long race. For the tyres it will be very hard work because
this track is so demanding on both the front and the rear, although the
conditions were better today than yesterday. We did a lot of work this afternoon
to fix all the problems and in the end I am happy because we did a good job. I
lost ten minutes in the middle of the session testing a tyre that didn't work,
so we have to work very hard with Michelin because the tyres are so important
for this race. At the end I didn't have time to use my last qualifying tyre and
I didn't ride 100% on my fast lap so I'm happy to be on the front row and I'm
looking forward to tomorrow. The guys on the front row will be favourites, but
there will be lots of other fast riders out there."
Colin Edwards (Gauloises Yamaha Team) 7th, 1'43.109
"I'm not happy with that at all - I know I could have gone much faster. Santa
Claus came early for us last night and Michelin brought us a really good front
tyre, so my pace on a race setting was pretty good, in the low 1'43s. At the end
I put on a qualifying tyre and went out for a warm-up lap, but then when I went
for my lap time I ran into three guys in the first corner who just sat there,
looking around and wondering what to do. I tried to take that lap slowly and
save some rubber for another try but the front cooled down too much and, even
though I pushed as hard as I could, I had no front grip. It's a shame because I
know I could have easily done a 1'42.5, which would have put me on the front
row. I guess I'll just have to ride extra hard for the first few laps in the
race. again!"
Davide Brivio, Gauloises Yamaha Team Director
"I think both riders are looking very good to meet their targets in the race.
Vale and Colin were both able to make a very good lap time on their race setting
so that is very positive. For different reasons both riders were not able to get
the best possible result out of the qualifying session. For Valentino it's not
so bad because he stayed on the front row, but Colin starts a little bit behind.
There are a handful of riders who have got the lap times to be at the front and
our guys are amongst them. It is a credit to our team, who has done an excellent
job in very hot conditions this weekend. Hopefully it will be an exciting race!"
Ruben Xaus (Fortuna Yamaha Team) 16th, 1'44.193
"We kept improving throughout the day and we even gained more when we put in the
qualifying tyre. However during my second attempt at a fast time I came up on
some slower guys which hindered me a bit. I'm looking forward to the race; last
year I finished sixth here so I'm hoping to go better for the fans and the team
tomorrow."
David Checa (Fortuna Yamaha Team) 18th, 1'45.310
"I'm so happy to get another chance on the M1. I've only done a few hours riding
on this bike in total, and I missed Friday practice yesterday, so I'm very happy
with my time today. Today I enjoyed qualifying more because at least I knew what
to expect. Tomorrow we'll keep making a few improvements in the warm-up and I
will give it my best in the race."
Round: 6 - Catalunya MotoGP
Circuit: Catalunya
Circuit Length: 4727m
Lap Record: 1' 44.641 (Sete Gibernau, 2004)
Fastest Lap Ever: 1' 42.337 (Sete Gibernau, 2005)
Date: 11 June 2005
Temp: 27ēC
Session 1 :
Pos.Rider Manufacturer Nat. 1st Qualifying
1 S. Gibernau Honda ESP 1'42.337
2 M. Melandri Honda ITA 1'42.390
3 V. Rossi Yamaha ITA 1'42.723
4 M. Biaggi Honda ITA 1'42.756
5 N. Hayden Honda USA 1'42.847
6 L. Capirossi Ducati ITA 1'42.992
7 C. Edwards Yamaha USA 1'43.109
8 C. Checa Ducati ESP 1'43.129
9 A. Barros Honda BRA 1'43.159
10 M. Tamada Honda JPN 1'43.207
11 J. Hopkins Suzuki USA 1'43.291
12 S. Nakano Kawasaki JPN 1'43.607
13 K. Roberts Suzuki USA 1'43.787
14 A. Hofman Kawasaki GER 1'43.864
15 T. Bayliss Honda AUS 1'44.122
16 R. Xaus Yamaha ESP 1'44.193
18 D. Checa Yamaha ESP 1'45.310
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